Opera has released the latest version of its web browser for Mac and Windows, completely rebuilt from the ground up! The browser, dubbed Opera Next, is currently still a beta of sorts, but it sports a beautiful new design, is quite snappy even when loading content-rich pages, and has a look and feel that may redefine Opera’s position in the browser market.
The new browser is based on Google’s Chromium code, marking a big change for the browser – and ultimately one which should bring huge performance in speed and performance.
From the press release (via TheNextWeb):
The all-new Opera for desktop is now out as an Opera Next version, Opera’s channel for what used to be called beta. Made from scratch, this version is available for Windows and Mac and brings a new, elegant design and a bunch of new features that will make your browsing experience sleeker and easier than ever. […] Opera has refreshed the most loved features and added some completely new ways to interact with the web.[…]
“Completely rethinking a browser in today’s competitive market is a big thing,” says Opera Software SVP of Desktop Products, Krystian Kolondra. “Our new browser is more beautiful and allows users to harness the massive amount of web content they are faced with today. Give it a try and discover something completely new.”
Also worth noting is that Opera has separated the browser from their email client, now offering Opera Mail as a separate download. So, what can you expect from the latest, greatest version of Opera? Here’s a full feature list!
Speed Dial
Opera’s popular shortcuts start page has been refreshed to make exploring web content easier and smarter. Speed Dial shortcuts can now be gathered in folders and easily filtered. Drag and drop one Speed Dial entry on top of another to create a folder, or use the new Speed Dial search field to experience the power of visual Speed Dial entries combined with the flexibility and organization of a classic bookmark folder.
Discover
Get hot, new content, with no browsing necessary. The new Discover feature allows you to lean back and get fed with new articles from your country, or whatever region you want to get inspiration from, right in your browser – all in one place. Pick and choose your category: news, food, technology or something else you are more interested in. Opera brings you a selection of relevant global and regional sources to discover web content more easily.
Stash
Imagine that, after hours of shopping at your mall for new shoes, you find a single shelf with all the pairs you have tried on so far, so you can sit down, compare, and pick the winner. That’s what Opera’s new Stash feature does for you with websites. Simply hit the heart icon in the address bar to collect the websites you want to compare easily while shopping, or to keep your travel research on hotels, sights and flights at your fingertips. Scan your Stash by resizable page preview, or search what you’ve saved, with keywords.
Search
Now, you can search directly from the new combined address and search bar. Simply start typing a webpage address to go directly to your favorite site, or enter a search term and choose one of several search engines to look for suggested websites.
New look
Rest your eyes on the new, refined user interface. It is modern, sleek, deeply integrated with the platform and built from the ground up. Browse more easily with new elegant icons, tab bar and more.
Engine swap
Opera for desktop has not only been redesigned; it’s also completely re-engineered under the hood. With the Chromium engine, users get a standards-compliant and high-performance browser. Opera’s Off-Road mode, previously called Opera Turbo, now supports SPDY protocol and enables loading webpages faster, even in the toughest of network conditions.
Opera has long been an underdog in comparison to the competition – but with a brand new redesign, and a complete change of the engine under the hood, it just might be worth taking a look at if you have (or haven’t) tried Opera in the past. If you’d like to take it for a spin, Opera Next is available now, as a free download (as always) from Opera’s Next site. Let us know what you think!
